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Janice wants to know about the right-click image resizer we mentioned
Can you please send me the site where I can get that wonderful right-click image resize app? I just can't seem to find it! I like to resize pictures before I email them... Thank you! Janice

Our answer
Hi Janice. The right-click image resizer is part of Microsoft PowerToys for Windows 10 and Windows 11. And it was our freeware pick several times, the most recent being a couple of weeks ago.

Please see this page for more info and download links.

We hope this helps you, Janice.

Dick wants to know what we know about DuckDuckGo
Do you know anything about DuckDuckGo? Thanks, Dick.

Our answer
Hi Dick. DuckDuckGo has been around for over a decade. We wrote about it back in 2011  It was just a privacy search engine, but now they offer a browser (Apple and Android) and a mail service which we have not tried. DuckDuckGo's search results are not as complete as Google's, but it is more private. But always keep in mind... nothing is private on the Internet -regardless of what you read or hear.

We hope this helps you, Dick.

Mary wants our suggestions for a VPN
I am so involved in my family history genealogy work that a great many things get set aside. Some of my ancestors that I have researched go back to the 1100 or earlier--just a lot of verification must be done. I need to do better in checking things. And because I do extensive research, I so count on my Emsisoft to be working away. Now I need to investigate VPNs. Any suggestions?

Our answer
Hi Mary. Wow...Wow back to the 12th Century? Great work!

We don't recommend VPNs for most people... they don't protect your identity, they don't protect you from being scammed, and they don't prevent your computer from being infected with viruses or malware. The advertising behind VPNs is mostly either false or hyperbolic.

If you work at home, your employer may require you to use a VPN, in that case, you'd need one. Another case is if you're living in a country where censorship is a problem, a VPN can disguise your location well enough to fool most censorship attempts. This would come in handy if you wanted to access certain websites that are restricted to certain countries. A VPN would disguise your location well enough to do that. But a VPN won't protect your identity, protect you from being scammed, or prevent your computer from being infected. Many VPN vendors claim they don't keep logs, but you have to take their word for it. And if they keep logs, logs can be accessed by third parties and law enforcement (with warrants).

If you want to try a VPN, you can install a free browser-based VPN like CyberGhost for Chrome/Edge. With a browser-based VPN, you can disguise your location and easily turn it on and off as needed.

We hope this helps you, Mary.

Annie wants a different picture on her sign-in screen
Hi Darcy & TC, "Manage your subscription" keeps giving me an error message when I try to change my email address. What can I do to change my address?

Also, may I ask if there is a way to get different pictures upon signing into Windows? I find Microsoft's photos that they randomly force on you to be somewhat depressing and tedious! Thanks so very much for your wonderful help! Annie

Our answer
Hi Annie. Please let me know what your new email address is and I'll change your InfoAve subscriptions for you. I'm sorry you're having problems.

As far as the Windows 11 sign-in (log-in) screen goes -- here's how to change the picture, stop Microsoft from changing the picture, and/or get rid of the picture on the sign-in screen altogether.

1. Right-click on an empty area of your desktop.

2. Chose "Personalize"

3. In Personalization click on "Lock screen"

4. Next to "Personalize your lock screen" change it to "Picture" (Spotlight allows Microsoft to choose Lock screen pictures). See the screenshot below.

5. Scroll down until you see "Choose a photo" then click the "Browse" button to choose a photo from your PC. If you don't want any photo at all on your sign-in screen turn the switch next to "Show the lock screen background on the sign-in screen" to "Off"

We hope this helps you, Annie.

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Wayne gets an annoying message from American Megatrends when he starts up his computer
Of late when I power up my computer I get an annoying message from American Megatrends that will not go away until I click my way through their program being very careful not to click anything too risky. How do I get rid of this program? Is it safe to use? Any benefits? Many thanks for all your help to us seniors. Regards, Wayne

Our answer
Hi Wayne. American Megatrends makes the motherboard and the BIOS in your computer. It is not a program. It is not something you cannot uninstall. American Megatrends is the Basic input output system or better known as the BIOS. It will show up depending on your machine if you press certain keys or a certain key.

But if it is starting up without any input from you, you may have a problem with your hardware or your BIOS. Here's a page https://www.softwaretesttips.com/american-megatrends-screen/ that can help you determine what is causing the American Megatrends screen to keep appearing on your computer. As you'll see there are many different causes. But what you're seeing is not a program -not something you can uninstall -it's your BIOS settings screen and your computer cannot run without its BIOS (on most newer computers UEFI).

We hope this helps you, Wayne.

Jeanne says we're wrong about the Brave browser
This email is about the Brave browser. I love your site and your tips are usually right on except for this one. You mentioned in your response to Christine that in Brave she would have to get used to signing into websites, such as Gmail, Amazon shopping, or any online shopping, etc. each visit. I use Brave and do not have to sign into my Gmail account. When I signed in, for the first time, I clicked on the 'remember me' button. Now I do not have to sign in next time. I do that for any site where I do not need privacy. Thank you for your wonderful website.

Our answer
Thanks for your nice comments.

If you use Brave and you don’t have to sign into Chrome, then you’re not using Brave as a privacy browser – you’re allowing it to save browser history, cache, and passwords - so you may as well use Edge, Chrome, or Firefox.

Most people would use Brave assuming it provided them superior online privacy. A truly private browser would not even allow saving log-ins and passwords. Brave can be set up to be totally private, but if you’re going to use it the way you’re using it, you’re not gaining much privacy – you may as well use Edge, Chrome, or Firefox.

The idea of a privacy browser is not to save history, passwords, cache, or anything else that could compromise your personal information. Anyone with access to your computer or any malware connected to your PC could find your browsing history, passwords and whatever else is in your browser’s cache and history.

Now I’m not that paranoid, so I just use Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. I really don’t believe there’s any privacy on the Internet to begin with. But if you’re using Brave because you want to stay as private as possible, then you’ll have to give up the convenience, bite the bullet, and not allow Brave to save your passwords or browsing history.

Johanna got a phishing email and now worries her accounts might be compromised
Dear TC and Darcy, Just received what is surely a terrible phishing email from folks purporting to be from "Geek Squad" and hoping to charge me for over $400.00 for a phantom renewal of a Geek Squad service contract that I never had, nor ever would have.

I did open the email, but did not click on anything in the mail, nor did I call the 800 number that they requested I call. Should I forward this email to you so that you can just take a look at it?  I have checked with my credit card company account, and happily, NOTHING has been charged by this fake company. The billing payment date was today 09/16/2022, so I felt relief that they hadn't somehow broken into my account. Also checked with my Experian account, and all is well there. But I just wasn't going to feel absolutely OK until I checked with my most trusted TC and Darcy to know for certain that I did all the things that needed to be done ... Thank you SO, SO much as always for your irreplaceable and hugely appreciated help and guidance. Johanna

Our answer
Hi Johanna. Thanks for your nice comments.

You did all the right things and there's no need to forward the email to us. You can't be scammed or charged anything just by reading an email, if that were the case we'd be getting scammed about 30 times every day (we get that much junk mail). As long as you don't click any links in an email, don't call the number(s) in an email, and you don't give the sender any personal information. The miscreants that send this kind of scam-spam send them out by the millions hoping to catch a few "phish". That's why they call these kinds of emails "Phishing" emails.

You did a great job by thinking before clicking anything and not allowing yourself to be tricked by this phishing email.

Way to go, Johanna!
 

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3 Ways to Create Desktop Shortcuts with Chrome and Other Browsers
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11 (Most modern browsers)

Did you know there are at least 3 ways to create desktop shortcuts with Chrome? There are and we’re going to show you 3 ways to do it.

Method #1

1. Go to the page for which you want to create a shortcut.
2. Click on the 3 vertical dots at the top right of Chrome or Epic.
3. Click on “More tools > Create shortcut”.

4. A shortcut to the page you are viewing will be created on your desktop.

Method #2

1. Go to the page for which you want a shortcut. (Note: You will need to resize your browser so you can see at least part of your desktop is visible).
2. Drag the lock icon (or the website's icon) which you’ll find just to the left of the website URL (address) to your desktop.

3. A shortcut to the site will be placed on your desktop.

Note: Method #2 works in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and most other browsers.

Method #3.

1. Go to the page you want for which you want to create a shortcut.
2. Copy the website’s URL (address) from the address bar.
3. Right-click on a blank space on your desktop and choose “New” > “Shortcut”
4. Under “Type the location of the item” paste the website’s address you copied in step #2.

5. type whatever name you want for your shortcut.

Method #3 works with any browser. 

Managing Installed Browser Extensions
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11 (Chrome, Edge, and Firefox)

Today, we're going to show you a quick and easy way you can find out what browser extensions are installed in your favorite browser. We’ll also show you how to turn extensions on or off – or remove them completely.

If you use Google Chrome…

Type Chrome://Extensions in Chrome’s address bar and press Enter.

When Chrome Extensions opens you can turn any extension on or off – or remove it.

If you use Microsoft Edge…

Type Edge://Extensions in the Edge address bar and press Enter.

When Edge “Installed Extensions” opens, you can turn any extension on or off – or remove it

If you use Firefox…

Type about:addons in the Firefox address bar and press Enter.

When Firefox “Manage Your Extensions” opens you can turn any extension on or off – or remove it completely.

Take Ctrl of Your Computer and Save Time with These Ctrl Key Shortcuts
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11

We are going to remind you how handy Ctrl key shortcuts can be and why you should use them whenever you can to save yourself time. And what’s more basic than time? We either have too much of it or not enough of it. 

So let’s save some time and use the Ctrl key to help you take control of your computer.

OK ready? Let’s go!

Let’s say you’re reading a page on the Web and you’re looking for a particular word. Do you:

a.) Scan the page manually for the word?

b.) Use the browser’s search feature in the browser toolbar?

c.) Press Ctrl+F to open the page search dialog?

d.) None of the above.

The answer is C.

If you’re looking for a word on a page in your web browser, word processor, text editor, PDF viewer, and many others, just press Ctrl+F to open the “Find” dialog. Just remember F stands for Find. Sure, you can use the program’s search feature too, but why? CTRL + F is faster.

If you’re on a page you want to print, do you search for “print” on the toolbar, look for printer icons, or just press Ctrl+P? Right! You press Ctrl+P to print the page. It’s the fastest way to print.

Let’s say you’re using your browser and you want to open a new window. Do you just click the browser’s shortcut to open a new browser window? Nah, just press Ctrl+N. Same thing if you’re using an email program and you want to open a new window to compose an email.

If you’re working on a document and you want to save it, you can press CTRL+S instead of clicking ‘File’ and ‘Save’. If you want “File” “Save as” – Ctrl+S/ works in many applications.

If you want to view your browser’s history, use Ctrl+H. And if you want to view a list of downloads, while your browser is open press Ctrl+J.

Let’s review.

(Note: Ctrl key shortcuts are not case sensitive – for this post we are using capital letters, but lowercase letters work just as well.)

Ctrl+F = Find something on a page – in a browser, text editor, PDF editor, ebook, etc. To remember this easily, think F = FIND.

Ctrl+P = Print the document you have open. Whether it’s a web page, a Word doc, a PDF file, a text file, etc. Think P = PRINT.

Ctrl+N = Opens a new window in the program that’s running. Think N = NEW.

Ctrl+S = Saves the document you’re working on. Think S = SAVE.

Ctrl+H = Shows your browser’s history. Think H = History

Ctrl+J = Shows a list of downloads in your browser. Think J=? I give up! J=Downloads! Junk?

And let me not fail to mention:

Ctrl+A = Select All

Ctrl+X = Cuts the selected item or text

Ctrl+C = Copies the selected text or item

Ctrl+V = Paste

Ctrl+Y = Reverses your last “Undo”

Ctrl+Z = Restores a deleted file instantly when used immediately after deleting a file.

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Now available: Reg Organizer 9.0

If you purchased or renewed Reg Organizer through Cloudeight within the last 12 months, you're entitled to a free version upgrade to Reg Organizer 9.0. Works great with Windows 10 and Windows 11!

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Reg Organizer - A Swiss Army Knife of Windows Tools - Works Great on Windows 10!

Real News? Fake News? Here’s the News We Choose!

The world is getting more splintered. We have far-right, far-left, alt-left, and alt-right, plain old right, and plain old left, and nobody seems to care about the good old center. We can’t even get the news anymore without some talking head telling us what to think.

Enough we tells ya! Today we’re featuring a site with news we choose. Funny, weird, strange news…, news we can all use.

Tow truck used to lift massive alligator out of Texas road
Sept. 19 (UPI) — An alligator found in the middle of a Texas road was so large that authorities ended up getting help from a tow truck to lift the reptile into the bed of a pickup truck…

Police remove snake from Alabama toilet
Sept. 19 (UPI) — Police in Alabama responded to a residence to deal with an unusual situation when the homeowner found a snake in their toilet…

Idaho man rides unicycle over 30 miles while juggling
Sept. 19 (UPI) — An Idaho man rode a unicycle for more than 30 miles while juggling to break a Guinness World Record…

‘Unpatriotic’ raccoons repeatedly invade official’s home, poop on flag
Sept. 16 (UPI) — A county official in New York said his home has repeatedly been invaded by raccoons — and one of the “unpatriotic” animals pooped on a flag…

Google mistakenly deposits $249,999 into security expert’s account
Sept. 16 (UPI) — A Google spokesperson said a nearly $250,000 payment placed in the account of a confused cybersecurity professional was the “result of human error”…

Missing cat returns home, rings doorbell in New York
Sept. 16 (UPI) — A New York family’s security camera was recording when their cat, missing for four days, returned home and rang the doorbell to be let inside…

Arizona shop’s 266 milkshake flavors earn Guinness World Record
Sept. 15 (UPI) — An Arizona ice cream shop earned a Guinness World Record by offering 266 milkshake flavors — and making them all in just over an hour…

Loose goat ‘terrorizes’ Arizona residents, pees on deputy
Sept. 14 (UPI) — An Arizona sheriff’s office said a loose goat “terrorized” a community for hours before being apprehended — and promptly urinating on a deputy…

That’s enough for now… there are a lot more where those came from. UPI has six full pages of odd news everyone can muse…It’s the kind of news we choose for today’s angry and divided world.

Come on people now, smile … read the news we choose…Odd News from UPI.

PS: Please forgive TC for a couple of the news selections. It’s his “potty humor” “seeping” through.

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The First Day of Autumn

I woke this morning and once the cobwebs were washed away by a strong cup of coffee, it suddenly occurred to me that today is the first day of autumn. It struck me as odd that summer has come and gone and I barely paid attention to it. I took my walks almost every day and some of those days were far too steamy. And I guess on those days it did occur to me that summer had settled in.

But how can it be the first day of autumn already?

It looks just like summer. It's bright and sunny with clear blue skies,  dotted with puffy, white, summer clouds.  And it’s nice and warm. It looks like yesterday, but yesterday was not the first day of autumn, it was the last day of summer.

Summer drew its last breath late last night and now autumn reigns, but hardly anyone noticed. No doubt there are millions of people walking around today thinking it’s still summer – or not caring about the season because they are enjoying the sunshine and the light warm breeze... on this first day of autumn.

Of all the seasons, autumn is the sneakiest...

Read the rest of this essay here.

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What does bandwidth mean?

According to the official definition: "Bandwidth is a term used to describe how much information can be transmitted over a connection. Bandwidth is usually given as bits per second, or as some larger denomination of bits, such as Megabits per second, expressed as Kbit/s or Mbit/s. Bandwidth is a gross measurement, taking the total amount of data transferred in a given period of time as a rate, without taking into consideration the quality of the signal itself."

According to us - If you have a swimming pool containing 50,000 gallons of water and you try to drain it with a garden hose, it will take you about 17 days to drain (or download) all the water out of that pool. Now if you have a fire hose - i.e., a big thick pipe, you can drain (download) the water in about 2 days. So, the fire hose has more bandwidth than the garden hose? See? The bigger the hose the more water flows through faster. Just think about it for a minute.

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We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly. Thanks so much for your support and for being an InfoAve Weekly subscriber.

Have a great weekend... be safe!

Darcy and TC
Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #989
Volume 19 Number 47
September 23, 2022 

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